Meet Jessie Webster

Jessie is a Los Angeles based editorial and commercial photographer specializing in lifestyle, travel and interiors. She has always drawn tremendous inspiration from her surroundings, whether from the beautiful mountains surrounding her native Ojai, or the architectural gems scattered throughout her current city, Los Angeles. Her ongoing passion for aesthetics and storytelling, combined with years of studying portraiture and landscapes, have helped Jessie create her distinct style.

on her morning routine

On most days I wake up around 7 AM, make coffee, put on a record, burn a little palo santo and sit in my sunroom. This ritual is my form of meditation that I look forward to each day. Depending on what my schedule looks like I'll either start prepping for a photoshoot or start editing photos for a client.

on launching her career

In 2004 I was living in LA, working in a restaurant and assisting my dad on photo shoots once a week to make extra money. I hated my restaurant job and knew I needed to quit and somehow find a way to work for myself. My dad encouraged me to start my own photo business and so I did. In the beginning I took every job I could get my hands on and lived on ramen noodles for about a year, but eventually I started to work regularly. In 2010 I started a lifestyle blog, Sweet Thing, and that's really what changed my life for the better. Blogging and social media opened me up to an audience of like-minded individuals.

My dad’s book “Big Shots” is such a source of inspiration for me. It was something we worked on for many years and was a total labor of love. It’s full of his most iconic work and has stories of his life and how many of the photos came to be. I know it is something I will cherish always.

— on her father's influence

on photography's influence growing up

Practically everyone in my family is an artist, so it's no surprise I followed suit. My dad is a photographer, known for his rock and roll and celebrity photos from the 60s-70s, his father was a songwriter who wrote music for singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Doris Day, and my mom was a fashion model and now a painter. My dad gave me my first camera when I turned eleven and it pretty much never left my side. I would dress up my sister and her friends, take portraits of them and spend hours in the dark room listening to opera and developing photos with him. I was quite shy when I was younger and I think photography was a way for me to both express myself and be an observer.

on her photographic interests

I started shooting more interiors, travel and lifestyle (which I fell in love with) and have since met some of my greatest friends through that world. I stopped blogging a few years ago because I couldn't devote the time to it, but I do miss it every once in awhile. I will never take for granted the beautiful ways it enhanced my life, but sometimes you have to move on and in some ways Instagram took the place of blogging for me. Who knows what will be next? I think the thing I love about shooting lifestyle is that it is all encompassing. Some days I shoot beautiful landscapes, some days I shoot portraits. The people/things I shoot are always changing and that makes it easy to stay inspired and challenged.

on her home decor

I want my home to be a reflection of me and I think that I manage that. I am a little bit of a paradox and I think that shows through in my style with both clothing and my home. I love neutral tones, monochromatic modern pieces mixed with vintage bohemian and clearly I have a thing for plants. Craigslist, Chairish, West Elm, CB2 and Etsy are my go-to sites.

on her shopping habits

Most of my favorite finds are vintage, so the Rose Bowl flea, Painted Bird and Etsy are where I do most of my shopping. Need Supply, La Garçonne and The Dreslyn are where I shop for modern brands. I've always liked how clothes make you feel like you can be anyone, but for the most part my style is pretty understated. I tend to buy a lot of black, white and denim that I can dress up or down with accessories or lipstick.

Nina Simone sings a song my grandfather wrote called “The Twelfth of Never” on this record. It might be my favorite of all his songs and the way she sings it gives me chills. The vinyl is a little beat up and crackly but I think it adds to the experience of listening to it.